"Because of fraud, because of thieves, we wear our cash up in our sleeves, and watch our back, and hold our keys, with phone in pocket , mustn't sneeze...and beware of evil in these days and pray often and be amazed".

FUN WITH WORDS

Assume, presume,speculate.
Invent, present,prognosticate.
Conspiracy theories and new ideas.
Imaginations, dreams and fears.

We travel sometimes in imaginary places,
flying through time in creative spaces.

Sweet Gladys Louise

Sweet Gladys Louise went off to the store and could not remember her list any more,

so she walked in circles up and down the rows,

following her instincts...following her nose.

"Why am I here, what must I buy?" She said as she held her head down giving  a  sigh.

Her "rememory" was faulty and her walking was slow ,

Always cloudy on details, when on the go.

'Til one day  she was quite surprised,

She found a note and realized,

The list she wrote one month prior

was still in her pocket right there to surprise her.

She used that list and wiped her tears,

and continued to use it for many years.

If you are like Gladys Louise ...you never change,

One list will do it so you won't feel strange.

She lived her life the same as same can be,

and lived in peace for years happily.

She was a one list lady and I think that is smart

because it dried her tears and brought peace to her heart.

So is the tale of Gladys Louise...don't lose your list dear and try not to sneeze.

Wish

WISH

By Linda Birkline

Wish for more wishes, dream big

 because dreaming is free,

Visualize that mansion, and go plant a fruit tree,

Paint ‘till you drop, and knit just for fun, and eat healthy foods and

Go for a run.

Yes..dream big my friend with all the detail,

Money’s no object on the dreaming trail.

Write down your dream,

Set something to action,

Don’t worry about friends and their reaction,

Speak words of hope and put a smile on your face

and dreams come true

Even in this “rat race”.

Wish more wishes, dream big my friend

For with dreams life is full and there is no end.

Within each person there lies greatness you see,

Dream on, wish big and make all your hopes be.

I REMEMBER 

 by Linda Birkline

When she looked at me with her happy light brown eyes they twinkled and the generations of the past could be seen. I was told I inherited her eye color. When she smiled, her face lit up with love and understanding and the wisdom which preceded her came out as she spoke.

When she moved, her gait gave evidence that although in pain or discomfort, she had learned to walk in dignity and yet still be able to bend and move and work her garden of beautiful flowers and fabulous vegetables.

Her hands held the memory of many years of sewing and creating perfect embroidery and delicious cakes and dinners and foods.  She reared three daughters who grew up to be wonderful women and gave her seven grandchildren.

 Her bookshelves were full of many books she read and learned and discussed. Her long dark brown hair was sprinkled with silver and was soft and beautiful. She would braid it and wind the braid into a little bun on the back of her head and put beautiful combs on the side to hold the wisps of new hair on the sides. 

Her glasses held her hearing aids. Without those she was stone deaf , unable to hear. She frequently wore dresses and was a perfect lady. She loved to can pickles and she loved to hang clothes on the line because they smelled so sweet when dried in the sun.

Her house was tidy, and there was a special feeling when you walked into her house. Her husband was very ambitious and a wonderful happy man. His garage was full of antique tools and tools he had fashioned to work in a different way for his own uses. He was creative and could fix most anything.

I will never forget the smell of the old wood garage. It was a sweet wood smell with a mix of oil and gas from the cars and still another smell I can’t easily identify except to him. Perhaps it was a mixture of the honey he would harvest from the hives,  or maybe the coal dust on his clothing or the wooden vegetable boxes he had or something else he used to work the garden or turn the soil. He was a coal miner.

 She had once been a teacher and they were my mother’s parents. Sweet sweet people…

They were well known in their small town. They were frugal with their money and skilled with their hands. Their grapevine produced big grapes perfect for jams and jellies. They had a beautiful lawn with a huge pecan tree. They are gone now and the house is owned by people who have no memory of them and the house will never be the same. It is run down and so much has changed, yet the memory of these amazing people live on in me.

The Conspiracy of the Household Devices

There’s an everyday battle in life that we fight.

It can be with the TV or an overhead light

or a malfunctioning toaster, a dead microwave,

a washer unbalanced,

a frig on the blink,

stopped up toilet,

clogged up sink.

There’s an everyday battle like a conspiracy you see,

purposed to frustrate and torment me.

Computer goes slowly, won’t give us our stuff,

our info, our downloads,

if that isn’t enough,

our phones cut out promptly as we just thought of our thought,

and the door hits my head when I load groceries I bought.

The CD player won’t work, no sound on the laptop

an odd quirk.

Plug in the external keyboard and then

Words are not scrambled and I can write again.

The fax is possessed and has a mind of its own,

Don’t tell the dryer it is all alone.

It’s maybe the only invention that works

without  fighting me in bits and spurts.

So I tried to mop and it came apart in my hand.

I need to do something to take a stand.

Gotta’ do this housework whether “they” want to assist me or not.

They’ll see the junk man if they don’t give what they’ve got.

I’m even battling the coffee pot!

Why can’t our devices respect us I ask?

Working forever completing their task?

THE PREACHER

A preacher man came into town

to preach revival one sunny day,

but he needed a choir to back him up and sing

 and hum and shout and pray.

So he went to the church, and asked them, please provide a choir for me,

but not just any choir, they should be anointed you see.

When I say something wonderful, let the choir agree

and they need to be ready for ministry…promptly at three.

The choir rehearsed all that they knew,

reviewed and checked all their keys,

The pianist practiced and so did the band

to accompany  them with ease.

It was time for the service, the choir began

and sang so many wonderful tunes.

The preacher said stay up on the platform my friends.

Sing what the Spirit would bring,

and so the choir remained right there,

listening for cues,

 and oh were they  ready to sing!

The preacher began,

He lifted his voice,

and preached from his heart and then,

a most remarkable thing occurred,

when he started to talk…

he started to talk about sin.

“You must not smoke, you must not drink, you must not cuss.”

The choir sang out loud and clear, “What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus!

The preacher gave a sign for pause and nodded and then spoke,

The choir then began again and they almost made him choke.

Each time he said a phrase or two, the choir sang out strong,

Like a duel of swords you might say,

They had all the appropriate songs.

Getting back to what I said, “You’re all sinners, listen now!”

The choir interrupted with Amazing Grace, and then they sang…

How wonderful art thou.

The preacher’s face turned red and

 he tried so hard to speak,

but the only time the choir was still

was when he was very meek.

They hummed with readiness and waited,

He began preaching good things to hear,

And when he diverted to sin and judgment,

They burst out in song to be clear.

We will never know who won that day,

We will never know what he tried to say,

For the choir was anointed it was said by my friend,

They were armed with their music,

from the start to the end.